THREE men and a woman whose attempt to settle a dispute with someone in a pub degenerated into ugly violence have narrowly escaped prison sentences.

THREE men and a woman whose attempt to settle a dispute with someone in a pub degenerated into ugly violence have narrowly escaped prison sentences.

Thomas Newey, his girlfriend Robyn Daly, Dale Norman and Rozmin Kane had all pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to a charge of violent disorder following the incident at the Nags Head pub in Hockley Heath, Solihull.

Newey, 21, of The Common, Earlswood, Solihull, who had also admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm on a woman during the incident and two charges of assault, was ordered to do 150 hours community punishment.

Daly, 20, of Old Warwick Road, Lapworth, was given a conditional discharge for two years after the court heard from her barrister Tariq Dubb that her young child has had to undergo an operation and still needs specialist care.

Norman, 21, of Middlemore Road, Northfield, and Kane, 20, of Glenavon Road, Warstock, were both give community rehabilitation orders for two years.

Outlining the background to the incident, prosecutor Neil Chawla said that last February Newey was spending the night at Daly's home when Gareth Morgan and two other young men turned up and forced their way in.

They launched a serious attack on Newey, but were not charged after he said he did not want to make a complaint.

That led to the events on March 20 when Newey went to the pub and effectively took the law into his own hands.

Sentencing, Judge Richard Cole told the three men: "No-one could criticise me if I were to send you straight to prison, but I am prepared to accept that a chance can be given to you."